campaign to SAVE Seafield House, Sir William Arrol's former home in Ayr

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Committee Biographies

Chair: Patrick Lorimer
Patrick Lorimer was born at Racecourse Road, Ayr in 1946. He formed an early link with Seafield House when his tonsils and adenoids were removed at Seafield Children’s Hospital in 1951. He was educated in Scotland and England and Graduated from Cambridge University in 1970. He founded the firm of ARPL Architects in 1973 and worked with them until semi-retirement beckoned and he took on a consultant role, specializing in Conservation works. In January 2018, he retired fully from the company. Pat was one of the first Architects in Scotland to be Accredited as a Conservation Architect and is also similarly Accredited in England and Wales.

Pat has been actively involved in Conservation Projects in and around Ayr for the last 40 years. The Practice recently completed the Conservation of the ‘Pink Buildings’ in New Bridge Street, Ayr and Pat himself is currently working as a Consultant at Dumfries House. The Practice has won numerous awards for both Conservation and New work. Pat lives in Kirkmichael in South Ayrshire, has three children; two grandchildren and is married to Caroline, an accomplished Interior Designer.

Vice Chair: Fiona Walker
Fiona Walker has been deeply interested in architecture in Scotland for many years since joining the local Civic Society in 1969 and latterly becoming a Trustee of the main board for many years. She has been a member of the Council and Executive of the National Trust for Scotland, a commissioner for the Royal fine Art Commission for Scotland, a member of the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland. Fiona has an MSc in Architectural Conservation from Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh.

Secretary and acting Treasurer: Lianne Hackett
Lianne (Linda Anne) Hackett was born and raised in Edinburgh but spent many family holidays at her aunt’s home in Robsland Avenue, Ayr. Her mother is a Kennedy from a long line of Ayr-based monumental masons, two of whom were Burgesses of Ayr. Her father was a Watson from Straiton. Married in their early 20s, Lianne & her husband Nigel spent their honeymoon in a family home in Arrol Drive. Lianne remembers vividly looking up at the tower of Seafield House. Her relationship with the building stems from that time. From 1992-2017, her mother lived in Arrol Drive. Lianne has lived and worked in Cambridge, London, Edinburgh and Hong Kong. She is a writer at heart. In 2011, Lianne took early retirement from the Scottish Parliament where she was a member of the Official Report team. In addition to helping to establish FoSH, Lianne was a founder of Ayr Converses with Chris Fremantle.

Committee Member: Rob Close
Rob Close was educated at Sir Thomas Rich’s School for Boys, University of Reading and University of Strathclyde. Rob is a freelance author and researcher and his publications include Ayrshire and Arran: An Illustrated Architectural Guide (Edinburgh, 1992) and Street Names of Ayr (Ayr, 2005); joint author of Buildings of Scotland: Ayrshire and Arran (London, 2012), as well as articles in a variety of journals, &c. Rob has worked in local government (Kilmarnock & Loudoun DC, 1976-79) and conservation (Strathclyde Building Preservation Trust, 1989-92) and was Chairman of Strathclyde Group, Architectural Heritage Society of Scotland, 1989-1991 and 1999-2001.

Committee Member (Website & Social Media): Kirsty Menzies
Kirsty Menzies first got involved with Friends of Seafield House through her family tree research. She is connected to Sir William Arrol through his first wife and has been studying his life and work for many years. She also lived in Ayr whilst a Horticulture student at Auchincruive, and was keen to help in the campaign to help save Seafield House. Kirsty was an administrator for the University of Glasgow for 10 years and is now studying archives and records management. She looks after the Friends of Seafield House website and Facebook page and is also writing a website about the life and legacy of Sir William Arrol.

Committee Member (Seafield Co-ordinator): Rosemary Paterson
Rosemary Paterson was born in London and moved to Glasgow with her mother at a young age. Her stepfather taught at Glasgow School of Art. Rosemary attended Glasgow School of Art where she studied Drawing and Painting before training as a secondary art teacher. Rosemary loves nature and historic architecture. Having moved to Ayr four years ago to a house from which she can see the tower of Seafield House, Rosemary was instrumental in the campaign to save Seafield House, instigating a petition that attracted 285 signatures. She was also active in the successful campaign to save Cunning Park from development. She also is involved in trying to save animals from abuse, experimentation and exploitation.

Committee Member: Brian Williamson
A Marketing graduate of The University of Paisley, Brian Williamson is Managing Director of Ekko Waste Solutions Ltd which is a specialised glass collection and recycling company and a Director of ABC4D Ltd which operates a chain of ultrasound scanning clinics across Scotland. Brian is passionate about local history and has been researching Seafield House and Sir William Arrol for the last twenty five years. Brian is married with four young children and lives in Alloway.

Former Committee Members:Dr John McClure MBE (1944-2108)
Dr John McClure served as a Registrar in Pediatrics at Seafield Children’s Hospital in 1970 and 1971, and as a Consultant from 1975 until its closure. John was one of the leaders of the “Save Seafield” Campaign in 1978.